Depends on your state's licensing board. Some states don't differentiate, but I suspect that states will eventually move toward that route, especially with the new exam.
Some states have TITLE acts which allow you to call yourself an SE if you've passed the SE-1/SE-2 or new SE-3 exam.
Some states have limited SE PRACTICE acts where you can design most buildings with a PE but only certain structures (hospitals/schools/hi-rise) must be designed by an SE
Some states have unlimited SE PRACTICE acts where you MUST be an SE to do any structural work at all (Illinois for example).
westheimer1234, many states like Texas that only acknowledge a PE license will and do accept the SE-1 in lieu of the PE (Principles in Practice) exam.
With the new 16 hour SE-3 exam, some states initially have suggested that they won't provide the SE-3 and will only let engineers take the PE exams within their state(Kansas). Kansas has since reconsidered I think ...but not sure.
I recently decided I ought to take an SE exam (mine was Civil). Since I don't really need it on an immediate basis, am I better off waiting till April 11 when they roll out the new test, or going ahead & doing SE 1 & 2 in 2010? I'm afraid of having to jump through hoops justifying a legacy exam in the future, but on the other hand my exam-taking opportunities may be less open in 2011, and maybe the available study materials won't be as good for a new exam.
Maybe a new thread, but my 0.02 dollars, wait until 2011.
Passing both the SE I and SE II in the same weekend or same year is tough. Has been done, but tough. There will be added pressure becuase if you only pass one or the other, as I understand it, you will still have to take both sessions of the new one in 2011.
I think most study materials should still be relevant because the codes and standards will essentially be the same even though the format will change. I'm sure new practice problem books/exams will come out taylored to the new format.
Not sure what do you mean by limited exam taking possibilities? I believe the new exam will still be offered through NCEES in all locations, even if your state doesn't have an SE license. However, if you mean you're starting a family in 2011, TAKE THE EXAM NOW AND PASS!!!!
The new exam will be recognized by the western states, whereas the old exams required an additional SE III exam in the western states, if licensure in WA, OR, or CA is an issue.
By that point in 2011 I may or may not still be at my current job in my current state, where I can take the exam without going through the whole application process again (not to mention borrowing copies of the codes). I guess I could fly back for the exam if I needed to.
As far as I can tell, I can't take both SE I & II in the same weekend; both appear to be Friday exams. Which means if I fail one or the other (which I might; I'm not a designer, which makes me only marginally a structural engineer but it's the closest thing to what I do), there won't be an opportunity to retake it. Risky.
I'm sure I'm not the only person struggling with this. Surprised I haven't seen more discussion, though maybe I just missed it.
HgTX - I work with a local SEA board in my state and we've discussed this quite a bit - in fact we just sent out a recent survey to see what the membership thinks.
I would wait until the SE-3. The SE-2 will not be provided in the future and you might end up passing SE-1 and then never having an opportunith to take the SE-2.
In the future, the SE-1 and SE-2 combination might not meet new state requirements...although most end up providing "grandfathering" clauses...but those also have time limits. So you could eventually come to a point where you would try to get comity in another state and not be able to get licensed there without taking the SE-3 anyway.
I actually started a similar thread not long ago, but it disappeared for some reason. The advice I got was to take the PE (SEI) as soon as possible - which would be October of 2010 (the last time it will be offered). I'm still tempted to wait, mostly because my firm will only pay for the exam the first time you take it (no one here has had to take it more than once yet), and I don't want to get stuck paying for the super-expensive exam myself.
I''m also expecting the new exam to be a little more difficult to pass, since it's meant to incorporate two exams into one, but that's not really a factor in my decicion (just an observation).
My exam was in Civil (in CA), but all my experience is in structural (bridges). I've pondered the need to take the SE1 & SE2 as well, but the states in which I now work do not have separate Structural Engineer acts so I've decided to wait and evaluate it later (if needed). With nearly 20 years' experience, I expect there will be some sort of grandfathering provision for which I will qualify. If not, I'll sort out my other options at that time.
Thanks for finding that thread. I barely managed to find this one.
I have two more test dates available to me, which in theory could mean time to take SE I & II, but if the new test incorporates III as well, it sounds like I'd better wait. Does anyone imagine they'll come out with a sample exam in time to study with it?
I see that almost all the study material out there right now, particularly for seismic, is aimed at buildings, not bridges. What little design experience I have beyond school is all in bridges, in a non-seismic area. This may not work...
I'll also put in my 2 cents. I found out christmas eve i passed the structural I exam and am hoping to pass the structural II exam (not wanting to take the combined exam). I live in PA and apparently they require you to 're-register' to take the structural II exam. Meaning you have to send in all of your recommendations along with a seperate application. Since the deadline WAS december 1st, they are not allowing me to sit for the april exam and hence give me one shot to pass the structural II before having to take the combined in the spring of 2011.
I anticipate the combined exam to be MUCH tougher, although you can pass the vertical or lateral portion of the exam and only retake the portion you failed. It will also include light gaue and cold formed steel (something i would not consider myself an expert).
I would STRONGLY recommend not taking the structural I. If you are in a state where you only need to pass the civil to get your PE and want your license, take the civil and wait until 2011 for the combined. The structural I is a much more difficult exam than the civil and since you can't take the structural II, it's not worth anything more than the civil.
